Blackpowder Weaponry
Introduction Gunpowder weaponry has had a long and arduous journey from basic, single-piece and wholly primitive items like the handgun, to complex and efficient pieces of work like the flintlock pistols and rifles that we see in use today. These deadly machinations are the product of decades, even centuries, of tinkering, experimentation, and an ever-present need to modernize and perfect the way the Royal Army brings down their enemies, especially from afar. This chapter of the Stormwind Army Field Manual will discuss the history of firearms, proper technique for the loading and the firing of a flintlock weapon, the terminology associated with formation fighting and the formations therein, and lastly, a list of weaponry that a soldier may come into contact with throughout their military career. History of the Firearm Since the discovery of black powder by the dwarves, there has been a distinct interest in the conception, production, and refinement of weapon schematics and how to best use black powder weapons on the battlefield. The evolution of the firearm comes from the need of having a reliable weapon that can be fired often enough that it would equal or outperform the bow or crossbow. Handguns Handguns were the first attempt at producing what was essentially a miniaturized version of the cannon that was capable of being maintained, loaded and fired by a single gunner. These weapons were little more than a cast iron tube, fired by placing a slow burning match into a small firing hole where the gunpowder resided. The nature of the firing mechanism, or the lack thereof, ensured that the gun was useless beyond a range of about 30 yards, as the gunner was unable to aim the weapon the same way that modern firearms are aimed. To some degree, the accuracy could be improved by placing the handgun on a stand. These weapons were also wildly unreliable and had a tendency to explode in the operators face due to misfire. Physical dangers aside, these early handguns were also exceedingly expensive and more often than not, soldiers preferred to stay away from them as they didn’t want to risk the loss of their coin on what was seen as more of a gamble than an investment into a weapon. These drawbacks forced the early handgun into rare service, with bows and crossbows more or less remaining the main form of ranged warfare. Matchlock Firearms Matchlock firearms could be considered the proper precursor to the modern flintlock that most people are accustomed to today. With a familiar body and firing mechanism, the matchlock rifle was able to shed the stabilizing stand that the handgun relied on for accuracy in favor of being held in two hands by the operator. Similar to the handgun however, was the continued use of the slow burning match used to ignite the gunpowder. This match was placed into a sort of locking mechanism that would be pulled back before firing. The gunner would then pull what would soon be known as the “trigger”, releasing the locking mechanism and bringing down the match into the flash pan, where a small amount of black powder was stored. This bit of black powder would create a flame that would find its way into the matchlock’s barrel, where a larger powder charge and the projectile were located. Once the larger charge of powder was ignited, the projectile would be expelled from the barrel in a much more accurate fashion. The improved firing mechanism made matchlocks a formidable foe to be encountered on the battlefields, but they still had the huge disadvantage of relying on a lit match for firing. Harsh, wet climates, stormy weather, and even the simple gust of wind was some of the main enemies of the matchlock, though the technology would be further improved. Wheellock Firearms The wheellock would be the next evolution of firearms and wholly better than the matchlock and early handgun. In essence, the wheellock would replace the slow burning match in favor of using a wheel, hence its namesake. This would be accomplished by a wheel spinning against a metal plate that would then send sparks into the flash pan where a bit of black powder resided, much the same way that it did in the matchlock design. The firing of the projectile would remain the same, with a larger powder charge and projectile being placed in the barrel to be ignited by the flash pan. The wheellock was much more popular than the matchlock, but innovations didn’t stop there. Flintlock Firearms Flintlock firearms are the products of the massive, early failures of firearms. While firearms have progressed at a relatively quick rate, they’ve still been expensive and dangerous to produce and use. However, it is because of these negative attributes that we have the flintlock firing mechanism on modern firearms. Simply put, the wheel mechanism is replaced by the lever-action method that was seen with matchlock firearms but instead of a lit match, a piece of flint is attached to the lever. When the trigger is pulled, the lock is released and the flint is brought down, striking against a metal plate, creating sparks directly above the flash plan. The powder then ignites, finds its way into the barrel, and then ignites the powder charge, sending the projectile off to the target. One of the primary advantages to the flintlock over any of the others, is the use of rifling. Rifling, or ridges in the barrel of the weapon, allows the projectile to spin inside the barrel and on its way out, significantly increasing the projectiles accuracy. Flintlocks are the easiest of the weapons to use as there is much less the gunner needs to remember. The loading process, which will be discussed further in the chapter, is relatively simple and skilled gunners are able to unleash about three shots per minute. As wonderful as this all sounds, cost is still a concern and, while great strides have been made in the realm of reliability, there is still the chance that the weapon can misfire, causing damage to the weapon and to the gunner. Loading and Firing The following information is taken and paraphrased from “The Musket Methodology” written by Sir Edrington Wilhelm Grunwald. This information is included as there hasn’t been many innovations in the proper techniques of loading and firing flintlock weapons, and so the information written therein has remained relevant. When a gunner is first learning the proper technique of loading and firing his weapon, a detailed and involved drill is taught in order for the gunner to learn the proper motions in a slow and controlled manner. After the gunner has graduated from the gunnery school, he will execute these actions on the battlefield in a much quicker fashion, generally only being instructed to perform three actions on command versus the 12 that will be explained. I. Stand to Receive: The gunner will “stand fast” or otherwise maintain a firm or fixed position, their firearm resting upon their shoulders with the barrel pointing upwards. In the case of a pistol, the gunner will hold the pistol to their side with their arm bent upwards, the pistol barrel pointing upwards in the same vain that a rifle would. II. Make Ready: When given this order, the gunner will prepare to load their weapon. The gunner will take their firearm and, if a rifle, will keep a hand near the trigger and bring the weapon to their hip, ensuring the barrel is angled upward while their other hand is placed on the grip towards the muzzle of the weapon. III. Draw Cartridge: This is the first action in the loading and reloading process. The gunner places their rifle on the ground, with the butt of the rifle on the earth and the muzzle facing skyward. The gunner will hold the weapon up with a single hand placed around the end of the barrel, ensuring that the muzzle is not covered. Once ordered, the gunner will remove a single cartridge from his cartridge box, holding it in his free hand, and await the next command. IV. Tear Cartridge: This is a very straight forward order. The gunner will tear the rear end of the cartridge open with his teeth, ensuring that the contents of the cartridge remains inside. The gunner will then pinch the torn end closed with two fingers until the next order is given. V. Place at Half Cock, and Prime: When issued this order, the gunner will bring the rifle back to his hip, pulling back the flint striking lever with his thumb, placing it into the “half-cock” position. The gunner will then open the frizzen(the device that covers the flash pan where the powder is placed) and pour in just a bit of black powder from the cartridge. VI. Close the Frizzen: The gunner will pull back the frizzen, covering the flash pan and thus keeping the powder secured. The weapon may now move freely without risking the loss of the powder held within. The gunner will keep the rifle “at the ready”, awaiting the next step. VII. Pour Cartridge: With the weapon now primed, the gunner will place the rifle butt back on the ground, keeping the muzzle pointed skyward. The gunner will take what remains of the cartridge, which includes the remnants of the black powder, wadding, and the projectile, and pour it into the barrel of the rifle, pushing it inwards. VIII. Draw Rammer: With the cartridge and its contents now placed into the barrel, there’s still the matter of ramming them to the bottom of the weapon for firing. Keeping the rifle in the same position, the gunner will remove the ramming rod from the underside of the rifle and place it over the muzzle of weapon with their spare hand, and await the order to ram. IX. Ram: Once given the order, the gunner will ram the contents of the barrel down towards the rear of the barrel, careful not to push too hard, but just enough to pack the contents tightly. Once packed, the gunner will withdraw the ramming rod from the barrel of the weapon and return it to its underside. Once these steps are complete, the gunner should return to their “at the ready” position to signal to the commander that they have completed the loading of the weapon. X. Place at the Full Cock: With the weapon now loaded, the gunner will pull back the striking lever into its fully cocked position. Great care should be taken at this point as once the lever is pulled back, the weapon will fire if the flint strikes the striking plate. The gunner should maintain the rifle in the previous “at the ready” position, keeping the barrel pointed forward and up slightly so as not to accidentally fire on friendlies. XI. Present: The gunner will “present” or take aim with the weapon. The butt or stock of the weapon should be rested against the shoulder of the gunner, using the dominant arm. Equally so, the dominant hands index finger, or trigger finger, should be placed around the trigger, whilst the other hand should be placed on the wooden grip on the underside of the barrel. The gunner may use the sights on the top of the weapon to aim towards the enemy. XII. Fire: Once given the order, the gunner will squeeze the trigger of their weapon. This releases the locking mechanism which sends the flint striking lever forward, striking the strike plate and igniting the powder in the flash plan. This creates a flame that funnels into the barrel, igniting the larger powder charge which then propels the projectile out of the barrel at an extremely fast speed. The gunner should be prepared to receive the recoil from the shot. Once this step has been completed, the gunner should return the weapon to the “at the ready” position and await further instruction. To summarize, the 12 steps here are laid out in this fashion as a means of explaining the process of loading and firing a weapon. Once a gunner has been properly trained, they will usually only hear the three steps of Make Ready, Present, and Fire. Terminology and Formations There are a few specific terms to take into account when discussing formation fighting. Some of them will have been restated from previous sections of this chapter due to their importance. So too have some of the terms listed been pulled from the work of Sir Edrington Wilhelm Grunwald. Make Ready: The process of reloading. Executed on command or, if given the order to fire at will, to begin immediately after having fired the last shot. Present: When issued, directs the gunner to take aim with their weapon. Just as with “Make Ready”, this is an automatic action if under orders to fire at will. Fire: Probably the most straight forward term, this is the act of firing the weapon. Can be issued as an order or is an implied action when under the fire at will order. Fix Bayonets: When given this order, gunners will “fix bayonets” or attach their bayonets to their rifles. This order usually precedes a bayonet charge order and will more than likely only be given if the formation is acting as a single unit rather than mixed with other infantry, like swordsmen or spearmen. The Guide: Usually an officer, this is the person who guides the formation All troops in formation follow the directions of the guide. This person effectively directs the formation and all formation maneuvers therein. Platoon Sergeant: The platoon sergeant doesn’t necessarily need to be a sergeant proper. This person is the second in command of the formation. As such, should anything happen to the guide that renders them unable to perform their duties, the platoon sergeant will then take the role of the guide. Traditionally, the platoon sergeant is placed directly behind the guide but can also be placed towards the rear of the formation. While there, they may provide corrections to the formation, assist in motivating the troops, and act as a lookout for the rear and flanks of the formation. To the Oblique: Simply put, this would be the action of turning about 45 degrees to the given direction to fire, be it left or right. Recover: To pull back from the presenting position. What follows below is a list of formations that gunners can expect to be a part of during the course of battle and drill alike. The Firing Line: When operating as a single unit, the default formation of gunners will be the firing line. While extending up to three “ranks”, this formation is designed to be wider than it is deep in an effort to have as many shots as possible fired per volley, per rank. As a rule, thirty gunners will be placed per rank before needing to create a new one. When a rank has finished firing its volley, that rank will kneel to allow for the other rank(s) to fire. The Firing Line(with melee infantry): This formation is more or less the same as the standard firing line except for the fact that it includes melee infantry in the ranks. Melee infantry will be placed in the middle of the ranks. Should the enemy charge or otherwise approach the gunner formation, the gunners will fall back behind the melee infantry who will create a rank of their own in defense of the gunners. Skirmish Line: This line is considered a standard line formation with increased spacing; five-man spacing between gunners. This line is used to take advantage of a gunner’s ability to fire with accuracy and move with speed. Useful for harassing the enemy, skirmish lines can be used to pick off straggling infantry or as a method of ambush, resembling guerilla tactics as the skirmishers would fire and disperse. Ranks of skirmish lines can exist as well, functioning in a similar fashion to the standard firing line, though skirmish lines are limited to two lines. The guide will specify the rank as “First Rank”, “Second Rank”, or “Ones” and “Twos” and then order the designated rank to fire. Knot Formation: A defensive formation, the knot formation combines gunners, swordsmen and pikemen into a sort of square. Gunners will form a single rank on all sides of the square while in the interior of the square, swordsman and pikemen will take up position. In the center of the square lies the command structure of the formation. The gunners on the exterior of the square will have the ability to fire in all directions. It is assumed that the gunners may fire at will unless ordered otherwise. Should the square be a target of an enemy charge, the melee infantry will switch places with the gunners, effectively inverting the square. The melee troops will fight until the enemy retreats or is defeated, where the gunners will then retake their positions on the outside of the square and continue their ranged assault. Wheels: A simple formation, the wheel is used to shift an already formed line towards an enemy who have displaced from their original location. Like a door on its hinge, the wheel will turn to face the enemy while keeping the line straight. When given the order to wheel, the formation will “wheel about” 90 degrees unless otherwise specified. The most commonly used angles are 45, the standard 90, and 180, which would make the wheel a “counter wheel”. The command to begin executing the wheel formation is “Wheel, 45(or other number) Degrees, March!” Orders of fire are effectively different strategies for firing upon the enemy. Generally, a firing line will fire with the “volley fire” order of fire as their default, though there are also “ripple fire” and “fire at will” which has been mentioned before. Below are further details and explanations as to their usage and strategy. · Volley Fire: Arguably one of the simplest orders of fire, this strategy aims to send a wall of projectiles hurling into the enemy lines in an effort to cause mass casualties. This is the order of fire that has been assumed to be used throughout this chapter. Gunners will await the orders to “Make Ready”, “Present” and then collectively, “Fire” at their target. Ranks will kneel after they’ve fired to allow for the other ranks to fire off their volley. · Ripple Fire: Probably the more complicated of the three, ripple fire involves the individual firing of rifles, starting from the right of the rank and proceeding leftward. The command for ripple fire starts just as volley fire would, except with the added command of “Prepare to ripple fire!” just before being issued the command to “Fire.” · Fire at Will: The simplest of the orders of fire, the formation will merge into a single rank in an effort to avoid friendly fire. Once the line is formed, the line will proceed to fire on their own accord until told to cease fire. · Fire by Rank: A variation of Volley Fire, firing by rank is used in an effort to create a constant barrage of projectiles. Firing begins with the first rank who then begins the reloading process immediately after firing. By the time the third rank fires, the first rank should be reloaded and ready to fire once more, continuing the process until ordered to cease fire. Category:Royal College of Engineers Category:Field Manual